The SR1550NX is a fine inexpensive PC for documents, Web surfing, and photo tasks.

Reading the stickers on the HP Compaq Presario SR1550NX ($830 direct, with monitor) will pique your interest, with good reason: The SR1550NX has a high-powered Athlon 64 3400+ processor and a large 200GB hard drive, both of which are attractive in this price range. With a large 17-inch monitor and media card slots, the SR1550NX will serve well for students or others who need a solid computer for years of typical PC chores.

The SR1550NX's 200GB drive is the high point of this PC, with plenty of space for programs, pictures, music, and video. Outside, you'll find a handy 9-in-1 media card reader. There is plenty of room in the SR1550NX's case for additional hard drives and PCI cards, in case the system needs up-grades. The SR1550NX comes with an 8X AGP slot (not PCIe, as on other models), which will let you upgrade the system's 3D graphics capabilities. If your pastimes include the latest first-person shooter games, then an AGP upgrade card is a must. As with the other machines in this class, 3D graphics performance is anemic by today's standards. On the plus side, the SR1550NX's Athlon 64 3400+ helped it speed through our SYSmark ICC (Internet Content Creation) test.

Since even a 200GB hard drive is likely to fill up when in the hands of a broadband-equipped student, there's a dual-layer DVD writer in the SR1550NX. The drive's LightScribe technology lets the user burn a monochrome label (with text and graphics) on the top side of the DVD or CD blank. Though more of a novelty at this point than a feature you'd use everyday, the LightScribe labels are clear and can help keep disc collections more organized.

The SR1550NX is a good, inexpensive 2D performer that covers most of the things that people use a computer for.

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About the Author

Joel Santo Domingo is the Lead Analyst for the Desktops team at PC Magazine Labs. He joined PC Magazine in 2000, after 7 years of IT work for companies large and small. His background includes managing mobile, desktop and network infrastructure on both the Macintosh and Windows platforms. Joel is proof that you can escape the retail grind: he wore ... See Full Bio

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